Battlefield Status
The Battlefield Status interface is an integral part of queuing for and being invited into the four new Battlefields that were added into the game with Game Update 10. It can be accessed by using the /battlefield command, or by using a War Terminal or Planning Table. The interface shows a row for each of the four Battlefields: Massassi Isle, Jungle Warfare, Bunker Assault and Data Runner. Status Window Status The Battlefield's status can be either "Reviewing Queue", "Inviting Participants", "Starting Battle", "Battle Engaged" or "Ending Battle". *During the "Reviewing Queue" stage, participants are free to enter into the Battlefield queue. The next stage will begin when both Rebel and Imperial teams have at least four members queued for them. *When the Battlefield is "Inviting Participants" every person who has joined a Battlefield Queue is sent a pop-up window asking them if they are ready to travel to the Battlefield. This window is on a very short timer so players are advised against being AFK when they are in a Battlefield Queue. Players who select "Yes" are moved from the "Queued" Column to the "Accepted" Column. Players who select "No" are removed from the Battlefield Queue. Players who select neither option within the short time limit are left in the Queue. *If a Battlefield shows "Battle Engaged" then two teams are currently fighting in the instanced Battlefield. No other players can join in with the fight until the battle has ended, but they can continue to join in the queue. Time Left The various stages of the Battlefield's Status last for different amount of time and the timer is shown here. *"Reviewing Queue" can be indefinite, so the timer is left blank. *"Inviting Participants" lasts for two minutes (120 seconds). *"Starting/Ending Battle" can be as fast as the server allows. *"Battle Engaged" lasts for up to 15 minutes (900 seconds) Rebels/Imperials Queued Shows the number of players from either faction that have decided that they want to partake in a particular Battlefield. The number of players in both factions must be at least four before the Battlefield can launch. Rebels/Imperials Accepted Shows the number of players from either faction that have selected "Yes" to the message asking them if they are ready to travel to the Battlefield. As explained further below, being "Accepted" into the Battlefield does not always guarantee that you will actually be transported to the Battlefield. Queuing Double clicking on the battlefield in which you want to partake adds you to the queue, or adds your group to the queue if you are the group leader (you cannot add yourself to a queue if you are a member of a group and not the leader). To confirm that the action has gone through to the servers you will receive the message, "You have been successfully queued for....." Once you have joined a queue the Status Window will be updated to show a timer and your queue position. This timer can continue counting indefinitely (to max out the four digit "Days" field you will have to wait in a Battlefield Queue for 27 years 148 days 4 hours 40 minutes and 39 seconds http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=1033569) You can go and do anything else that you want whilst you are Queued, but as previously stated, being AFK during this time is not advised. Being Accepted Once at least four players from both sides are present in the Queue, the Acceptance system starts. There is a time window during which other players can join the queue to allow more that 4 vs 4 Battlefields (the maximum is 16 vs 16). The teams in Battlefields have to be of equal numbers so it is possible that in a 4 vs 5 scenario the player on the team of 5 who has the queue position of 5 is forced to wait until the next battle. Players with a better Queue position are given priority over players who joined the Queue later. Groups that entered the Queue together are given priority over single players, but it is very rare that this should actually come into effect. Your Queue Position is improved by 1 if a player with a better queue position declines the Battlefield invitation.* In the rather common event of a player Queuing for a Battlefield and then deciding that they do not wish to take part (or being AFK during the invitation window) and the teams are left under the required four players from both factions (for example 3 vs 4), a message will be sent to all "Accepted" players informing them that the teams were not large enough for the Battlefield and they are automatically being returned to the Queue. Traditionally when this happens a handful of additional players join the Queues and the Battlefield moves straight back into the "Inviting Participants" stage. *Editorial: I have used the term "better queue position" to alleviate any confusion that there might have been if the correct term "higher queue position" had been used. A "higher" queue position is one that has a "lower" numerical value. In terms of queuing, position one is "higher" than position two. The term "better" has the correct implications. Category:Battlefields Category:User Interface